Obesity in New Zealand
Publications

• Policy documents
• Sources of survey information
• Analysis of survey data
• Ministry reports

Policy documents
Healthy Eating, Healthy Action: A strategic framework and implementation plan Improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and reducing obesity are population health priorities in the New Zealand Health Strategy. Because these issues are inherently inter-related, this strategy provides an integrated approach to improving population health in these three areas.

Food and Nutrition Guidelines
The Food and Nutrition Guidelines are a series of six population-specific background papers. The guidelines also form the basis of advice for health promotion and education services regarding nutrition and include recommendations for physical activity.

Healthy Eating, Healthy Action. Oranga Kai - Oranga Pumau: a background
This publication provides the scientific support and rationale for the directions proposed in the accompanying strategy document, Healthy Eating - Healthy Action: A strategic framework.

Healthy Eating – Healthy Action: Oranga Kai – Oranga Pumau Implementation Plan: 2004–2010
The Healthy Eating – Healthy Action: Oranga Kai – Oranga Pumau: Strategy framework (HEHA Strategy) provides an integrated policy framework to bring about changes in the environment in which New Zealanders live, work and play as this relates to nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

An Analysis of the Usefulness and Feasibility of a Population Indicator of Childhood Obesity
This paper provides an analysis of the usefulness and operational feasibility of an indicator to monitor both obesity in children and young people, and the effectiveness of the collective strategies and interventions used to prevent and manage childhood obesity

New Zealand Health Strategy DHB Toolkit for Obesity (2001)
This toolkit has been developed to provide guidance to DHBs on the importance of obesity as a public health issue and the most effective ways they can work to reduce obesity in their region. It briefly outlines some of the key service areas and issues that DHBs should consider when planning how to address this important health priority area.

Sources of survey information
A Portrait of Health: Key results of the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey
The report includes a detailed description of the survey methodology, as well as information on the prevalence of chronic diseases, the prevalence of health risk and protective factors, the use of a wide range of health services, and self-reported health status.

NZ Food, NZ Children: Findings of the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey
This report overviews the 2002 National Children’s Nutrition Survey (CNS02). It describes the methodologies and the data on nutrient intakes and their sources; food security; eating patterns; frequently eaten foods; physical activity patterns; dental health; anthropometric measures and selected nutrition-related clinical measures of New Zealand schoolchildren 5–14 years of age.

NZ Food, NZ People – Key results of the 1997 National Nutrition Survey (includes height, weight, obesity and Body Mass Index for NZ)
The report provides definitive information on the nutritional status of adult New Zealanders.

Analysis of survey data
Embodying Social Rank: How body fat varies with social status, gender and ethnicity in New Zealand
This bulletin uses data from the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey to analyse ethnic and gender variations in socio-economic gradients in body fat distribution, using a range of measures of body fat and of socio-economic position.

Nutrition and the Burden of Disease New Zealand 1997-2011
Nutrition is a key determinant of health. However, while it is established that nutrition-related risk factors cause heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and other major health problems, their full impact on the health of New Zealanders has never been accurately quantified.

Tracking the Obesity Epidemic - Public Health Intelligence Occasional Bulletin No 24
Tracking the Obesity Epidemic examines changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults, from 1977 to 2003 for the total population and from 1989 to 2003 for the Maori population. The report also uses graphical methods to visualise changes in the BMI distribution.

Looking Upstream: Causes of death cross-classified by risk and condition New Zealand 1997
Causes of death are routinely classified at the level of health conditions (diseases or injuries) using the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases. This is useful for planning health care services, yet for disease prevention or health promotion a classification of causes of death at risk factor level would be more useful.

Ministry reports
Implementing the New Zealand Health Strategy 2005
Implementing the New Zealand Health Strategy 2005 documents the wide range of activities being done by communities, DHBs, PHOs and other providers, at national and local levels to progress the New Zealand Health Strategy and drive good health for all New Zealanders.

Health and Independence Report 2005 Director General's Report on the State of Public Health
Go to the section on obesity (PDF, 482 MB) Warning - large file size